To Pink or not to Pink?

Since I was a child, I’ve hated the color pink. A tomboy at heart, the color pink stood for everything I was against. Pink was delicate, soft and quiet. Ribbons, bows, ballet shoes and makeup. I was into sports, playing outside and riding bikes.

When I was 8 years old, my grandma passed away from breast cancer. I remember her in the hospice bed in the front room and being outside riding bikes in her driveway the evening she passed. Because of this experience I have religiously gotten mammograms since I turned 40. I always go in October which is Breast Cancer Awareness month (it may or may not have something to do with the free Breast Cancer swag we get at my local hospital 😀). They also have a pink Christmas tree that you can dedicate ornaments to by writing an “In memory of” and “In celebration of” message and hanging it on the tree. Pink is the color of my grandma’s early departure.

For the past 6 years I’ve hung an ornament in memory of my grandma after every mammogram. My family and I have participated in multiple  Susan G. Komen races, always with a pink “In Memory of Grandma” sign on my back.  Many racers had “In celebration of” signs on their back. I realized that pink means a lot of things to a lot of people. To me…

Warriors wear pink. 

Fighters wear pink. 

Survivors wear pink. 

I never expected that I would wear pink.